Konoha's Merchant Redux
by kyosuke-date-the soultaker
Summary: A redo of my story Konoha's Merchant. Different in many ways, yet the core is still the same. Please enjoy! Also Review! / After a strange incident when he was young, involving strange devices he created, Naruto was given a chance, and upon graduation, becomes Konoha's very own Merchant. So now, he's got one thing to ask you... What're you buyin... Strange-a?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I don't own Resident Evil. I make no money writing this, so I feel no need to remember who actually owns them.

…

I reread my story earlier, and I thought I'd just rewrite it due to the previous one not being totally up to snuff. Glad you guys like it though, I'll try my best to give y'all what ya want.

…

Standing before the Hokage, clad in bandages and a cloak with a hood to hide his face, young Naruto Uzumaki had his head down, worried over his fate. He had just sent several Genin to the hospital with wounds that could be crippling. Or not, he knew the weapons he'd used weren't finished, so they weren't exactly lethal yet.

"Naruto Uzumaki. Please look at me."

Flinching only slightly, the boy did as told, showing purple eyes with slit pupils, three whisker like marks on each cheek, a little fang poking out past his lower lip on the right side. Sighing softly, the old Hokage swallowed his regret upon seeing the boys' face, and simply spoke up.

"Tell me. How does a boy not even in the academy yet send four trained Genin to the hospital while incurring minimal damage to himself?"

Hiruzen's tone was serious, but his facial expression let Naruto know that he was in significantly less trouble than he'd thought he'd be in. This prompted him to answer almost eagerly, "Well, I was tinkering a bit with something that would help me launch kunai or shuriken better, since I'm not so good at it, and what I came up with seemed to work really well. I just can't get them to come out fast enough to be lethal… Th-that's why I used them on those bullies, I swear."

Yes, while his inventions could and would really hurt someone, they wouldn't be lethal for a good while.

"Oh? Tinkering you say? Does this have anything to do with where all your money has been going each month that I hear you're starving yourself from your shadows?"

Flinching once more, both at the reminder of his followers and that the Hokage had found out he'd been going without, Naruto gave a little nod of his head. "Show me."

Immediately, a bag was placed in front of the Hokage by one of the ANBU behind Naruto, the Hokage reaching into it and pulling out what looked to be a thick piece of metal with a handle and some form of trigger contraption. It was thick, yes, but looked like it had been made to look sleek. Obviously whomever made it needed more practice, though of course he knew who made it, the boy had just admitted to it after all.

"You said you made this, correct?"

Nodding his head, Naruto sighed softly, "Yes sir. I've been tinkering with those devices for a while, and I finally got them down to where they'll work. Though, I can't seem to get the projectiles to fly very straight or far yet. I don't even have a name for them yet either, and they're still much too big."

Humming softly, the Hokage turned the device in his hands for a moment, before having to dodge as he accidentally pressed the triggering mechanism, a tiny kunai flying out of the device and at the old man's face. "My! Well, while I agree it's not something lethal if it doesn't hit anywhere important or guarded, the speed is decent. Any thoughts?"

From Naruto's left an ANBU with a rat mask spoke up. "Hokage-sama, perhaps we should allow the boy to continue his work on these things? Perhaps if he can make them lethal, he could market them to the villages Shinobi. If you excuse my enthusiasm sir, these devices could very well revolutionize the way Shinobi fight, or even give civilians the ability to defend themselves against any manner of threat."

From the blonde boys right, another ANBU spoke, this time with a Dolphin like mask. "Perhaps we could also grant the boy some help. If they are unfinished and he has them able to harm trained Genin, who's to say he can't have them lethal and able to hit even Jonin some day? Of course, I would also recommend having someone try to make a counter to them, should the technology ever reach other nations."

Humming once more, the Hokage nodded his head and placed the device in his hands back into the bag now sitting on his desk. The ANBU who'd placed it there, one with a dog mask, promptly picked the bag back up, bringing it over towards Naruto, handing the boy back what were honestly his belongings.

"Very well. Naruto-kun, it will be your responsibility from now on to keep a tight hold on those devices of yours. You will be paid a stipend to spend on research, and be given resources with which to further your research. However, in return, once they are lethal I would like for you to register them as your invention, and market them to the people of Konoha, with a small discount for Shinobi based on rank."

Smiling, the blonde boy nodded happily and held the bag with his inventions in it closely. "Hai! I'll do as you say Hokage-jiji, dattebayo!"

Laughing good naturedly, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart lightened at seeing a look of joy on the blonde boys face. Ever since his abduction several years ago… Well, let's just say it did his heart good to see the boy smiling so.

"Now, before you go, has there been any changes from last month? Or… have they settled?"

"They've settled, so there's no need to worry any longer, my physiology is quite sound at the moment. If a little tender."

It had happened when the boy was four. He had been abducted by the traitor Orochimaru, and experimented on. The snake Sannin had banked on the boy's prisoner keeping him alive and adapting him to the changes he'd made. It had barely worked, and by the time they had found the boy, several changes had already been made to his physiology.

He had been infused with the DNA of several beings in an attempt to alter the boys' body. So far the boy had displayed the flexibility and venom of the snake variety, the ability to breath under water, and move in such as if he were a fish, and the durability and strength of an Iwa Rhino. Also was the issue with the boy and his tenant seeming much closer than the seal on the boys' navel should allow.

What no one knew, was that the boy and his tenant were in contact since the first of the experiments done on the blonde. His eyes were purple because a much greater amount of the Kyuubi residing inside the boy was mixing with his chakra, making it more potent, stronger. This was augmented by the boys body constantly absorbing Nature Chakra at a slow rate. For all intents and purposes, the boy was in a constant state of Sage Mode, if a severely weakened version of it.

…

' _So. What do you think, Kurama-kun?_ ' Thought Naruto, sitting in his apartment and meditating. Ever since he'd been infused with the snake stuff, the fox that resided within his gut had made itself known. Ever since he'd been turned part fish or something, the fox had been talking to him, and ever since he'd been made able to feel the energy of the earth around him the fox had actually been pretty nice to him. Still a jerk sometimes, but pretty nice.

' _ **I think you should build yourself a trump card. What you've managed to build is far less dangerous than what I've shown you. In my travels, there were weapons like yours that were even able to hurt me from a distance. Of course, after being sealed so many years ago I haven't been able to travel the lands beyond the Elemental Nations, so there could be plenty more that are stronger and better than your devices.**_ '

Humming and looking at the little black book he'd been writing his ideas and formula's in, Naruto sighed and put it back into the pocket of his cloak. Feeling a presence beyond his door, he hopped up and opened it before the person on the other side could even begin knocking.

It was a white haired man, and beside him was the Hokage himself.

Standing at attention, Naruto gave the old Hokage a pleasant smile, and a little wave. "Hey Jiji, who's the old guy?" Naruto spoke, getting a tic mark to appear on the 'old guy's temple. "Oi oi! Brat, the name's Jiraiya, not old guy! And I'm your new teacher for the next few years. Heard you've been tinkering with seals and other such things, well, I'm the best you're ever gonna meet in that particular field. And as a special service, I'll be your first customer when those little devices of yours are finished."

How was that a service? Nevermind, "Teacher? I'm not even in the academy yet! What, I suppose you're gonna train me for that too?"

"Actually Naruto-kun, I brought someone else along for that, since Jiraiya-kun is needed for other things when he's not training you in seals. Naruto, I'd like you to meet Kakashi Hatake, or as you may know him,-"

"Dog-san!~" Naruto cried, flinging himself at the man with the gravity defying silver hair, hugging him about the waist. "You're gonna be training me?! Awesome! Thank you jiji!"

Chuckling softly, Kakashi patted Naruto's head and rubbed it a bit, getting a content sound from the boy. Who knew he liked being pet? "Yes, It will be my job to have you at at least Genin level by the time you return to Konoha. Though personally I plan to have you at much higher than that, I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're my favorite little ragamuffin."

Huffing with puffed cheeks at the ragamuffin remark, Naruto stuck his tongue out at the man and backed off, giving a little hiss as he did so, tongue elongating a little. Still.

Bowing towards the Hokage, Naruto gave another smile, "I thank you for this Hokage-jiji, I promise I'll do all that I can to be the best I can be! And I'll get my inventions finished by the time I return."

…

"Okay brat, time to get down to brass tacks. Show me what you got with sealing already." Jiraiya spoke, sitting at the camp sight they had chosen to stop at for the night.

Rummaging through his cloaks many inner pockets for a moment, Naruto pulled out a worn book being held together with strings, looking for all intents and purposes like a draft book about to be handed to an editor. On the front in slightly faded black print was the words ' _Close to the heart, Na-chan's first sealing book_.'

"I don't know who this Na-chan is, but I just found this thing on my chest one night while I sleeping. Just woke up and it was there."

Jiraiya's eyes widened, as he knew full well who Na-chan was, after all he was looking right at him. It actually brought a tear to his eye, seeing that old thing again. He'd written it after all! He just didn't expect the boy to have unlocked it so early.

"Heh, you really are amazing kid. You'll find out who Na-chan is later, but for now, here." Taking out a fresh seal book, Jiraiya handed it over to the blonde, snatching the other book and leafing through it smoothly, much to Naruto's chagrin.

"I assume you finished it, since the back page is filled out with some pretty nice seal ideas. Looks like this things pretty worn out, so I'll hold onto it for now. I know a guy who can touch it up for you, and I'll give it back once it's looking a little more sturdy. Wouldn't want to let this be destroyed now would you?"

Letting the issue drop, Naruto nodded and began to leaf through the book he'd been given. It wasn't that hard to give up something when he'd been told he'd get it back. He had time, he could wait.

Kakashi however was now looking between the two with a curious gaze, before shaking his head and standing up. "Naruto-kun, come over here, I want to teach you something."

Looking up from the book, Naruto tilted his head and gave a small smile, "Sure thing, what is it Kakashi-san?" Said man smiled and pointed to a tree helpfully, before beginning to climb it… Without his hands. Suffice to say Naruto thought it was the coolest thing ever, even though he was building weapons that could revolutionize the shinobi world.

…

Three weeks into their travels. Three weeks of grueling training that taxed even his augmented body, and even managed to tax his chakra reserves with how much he was training to control said energy.

While his control was great for both his age and superb for his reserves, it was all due to his augmentations, and once Jiraiya strapped a strange device onto him, it made every exercise lots harder. Not even just the physical ones though, it seemed to mess with his chakra and make it flow erratically. Jiraiya's excuse was that if he could control it with the device on then he would have no trouble controlling it without the device.

Due to the training he'd been doing as well, Naruto had had little time to work on his devices. He'd resorted to using repulsion seals inscribed within the barrels of the weapons to shoot the projectiles faster, and using smaller projectiles helped with them flying a little straighter. The biggest upgrade he had made to them was when Jiraiya told him things traveled straighter and faster when they were spinning.

To that end he'd added spiraling grooves into the barrels of the weapons, and now they managed to actually dig into trees a little. He'd made much more progress than he'd hoped, but the seals kept wearing out after not even two shots.

In any case, he was receiving a small break for a few days, Kakashi taking him to a nearby town which was having a festival while Jiraiya went off on whatever errand he had to do.

Running into the village, wearing a new brown cloak given to him by Kakashi, Naruto smiled and went about looking at all of the attractions, Kakashi following behind him at a more sedate pace. It was nice to see the boy getting to actually act his age, though it was getting harder to keep track of the boy as he kept ducking and weaving between people to get to each stand, watching some, playing a few others.

Then the boy disappeared.

Kakashi didn't panic, simply moving to the rooftops and looking for a mop of blonde hair. Nope, didn't panic at all. Not like the Hokage would kill him painfully and humiliatingly if he found out he lost the kid or anything.

When finally he found the boy, it was his surprise to find the boy walking away from a poker table with a curious look on his face, and several bundles of ryo in his hands. Overflowing really. Well then…

Dropping down in front of the boy, Kakashi examined him worriedly, like a mother hen checking over a previously lost chick. Blushing at the worry shown by the man, Naruto waved him off, offering him a roll of ryo in exchange. "Naruto, how did you get all this? Those men didn't hurt you did they? I swear I'll burn their little table if-mmmph!" Jiraiya appeared behind the man and held a hand over his masked mouth, chuckling heartily and shaking his head.

"Don't worry Kakashi, this squirt had all those men played. They're so down at being beaten by a kid they haven't moved for a good few minutes." He reassured, finding it hard to believe, even after seeing it, that the blonde brat he'd been traveling with was so Lucky. Kami forbid the boy ever met Tsunade.

…

The two men and one young boy stood at an ice cream stand, the boy paying for them before handing one to each of the men at his sides. On his face was a peculiar look, curious if nothing else as he walked away from the stand with the two powerful men. Jiraiya noticed this, and while eating his ice cream, turned to look at the boy.

"What's wrong squirt?"

Humming and looking up at the sky past the hood of his cloak, Naruto shook his head softly. "I don't know… It's just this feeling I seem to be getting at the moment… Walking with you two, just eating some ice cream… I feel like, if I hadn't created something useful for the village that… I'd never have gotten a chance to experience something like this. W-would it be wrong to cry…?"

The blonde's voice was so melancholy that it almost physically hurt Jiraiya, even Kakashi gaining a somewhat saddened look in his eyes. He knew, the kid was right, and it was very likely he'd have never gotten this kind of experience had things been different.

Blinking as he found a pair of hands on his head, one atop the other, Naruto's eyes widened as he looked up at two smiling faces. At once, both men spoke with such resolution that it made Naruto's heart beat faster.

"Don't worry Naruto/Kid, you'll always have us now. You won't get rid of us that easily!"

Naruto actually let the tears building in his eyes fall, smiling widely and nodding, "Mm!"

…

Sorry for such a short chapter, but again I'm battling writers block and a general not want for writing. I need my mojo back man! So please review.

Also, tell me which of my stories you'd like to see rewritten/updated first, and I'll try to get on that.

Lastly, I'm taking requests! If you have oneshot requests or story requests, to help me get back into the swing of writing, I'll do them one at a time.

My excuse for not writing is that my laptop is old again, and overheats in my lap for leg baking results. My hands bake too I think, so there's that too.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See First Chapter

...

There will be a small time skip in this chapter. By my calculations, I believe my Naruto was eight, and this time skip will be two years, making him 10. Enjoy!

…

It had been two years since their journey of training had started. Since then, Naruto had learned a great many things, like Taijutsu, some Ninjutsu, and even how to use a tanto by Kakashi. His progress in seals was phenomenal, and thanks to unlocking a book from some kind of invisible seal on his right palm, he also learned something about his parents, even if Jiraiya refused to tell him who they were.

His parents were power houses!

The complicated seals within the new books, unlocked after he had finished the book Jiraiya gave him, well honestly they baffled him for about a week before he finally managed to get them. At the moment, he was likely better than Kakashi at the art of seals, something he was quite proud of since while no expert, the man had achieved a journeymen status.

Currently, he was in a sparring match with Kakashi, going through the kata's the man was teaching him, complicated and quick, and if he were honest it was heartwarming that the man was teaching him like he was. One on one, face to face, correcting his mistakes and sparring with him often. Often times Naruto found himself with feelings that such experiences would have been denied to him had things been different…

But then he threw such thoughts violently out the window, since things were different, and he wasn't going to dwell on the bleak 'could have been' thoughts.

Standing at a somewhat tall 5' for his age, Naruto's now longer hair was quick in helping him block a kick from Kakashi. "Hari Jizou… Gah!" He hadn't been able to harden his hair enough to withstand Kakashi's kick, and paid for it by being flung back several feet. "Time! That was a good job Naruto, I'm happy to see you hadn't used a single of your inventions the whole match."

Standing and dusting himself off, Naruto sighed and gave a small pout as he went over to the new light blue cloak Kakashi had given him. It had multiple pockets, and was big enough to fit right over his previous cloak, to which Naruto had added several belts and pouches to hold the ammo for his greatly improved weapons.

"I didn't use them because they're getting faster, and I don't wanna hurt my only uncle."

Chuckling good naturedly, Kakashi patted Naruto's head while the boys hood was still down, "Don't worry about that Naruto, Hokage-sama sent us the newest counter measures for your devices. It's a strange material called 'Mythril Mesh' from Tetsu no Kuni. While not actual Mythril, it's properties mimic mythril and it's quite sturdy while being light to boot."

Eye twitching, Naruto held out a hand, and after a moment, a vest of all things was placed into his grasp, light as a feather yet Naruto could tell, the man hadn't been lying. "Damn… Looks like I'll need to step up my game if I don't wanna fall behind whoever the hell he found that could craft this stuff."

A fire in his eyes, Naruto handed Kakashi back the vest and sat down under the nearest tree, pulling out a scroll and expertly unrolling it, biting his thumb and quickly adding some blood to the scroll before his bite healed up. In a poof, Naruto was looking at a long cylindrical object, longer than any of his other devices, yet many times more powerful than most of them.

"Oh, that one's new. What is it?" A voice called out, Jiraiya fading into view from the treeline, showing he could indeed act like a proper ninja when he wanted.

"Ero-sensei! Welcome back, you're just in time to see my new invention! I'm calling it a Sniper Launcher."

Picking up the device, Jiraiya gave it a look over, having become a little familiar with the things over the time he spent with Naruto, watching him work with surprisingly skilled hands after a while. "Huh, So you have compression seals and high grade repulsion seals. Looks to be a long range launcher, right?"

Huffing softly, Naruto stood and took the device back, cradling it as if it were a baby. His baby. "Yes, it's a long range version of my launchers. Very long range in fact; the whole point of this baby is to hit foes at a distance without them ever even realizing you were there. Or not there, as the point is."

Demonstrating, Naruto pulled a tiny, specially made kunai from one of his pouches, loading it into the device and moving to a prone position, aiming at a tree across the clearing they were in. With a slow breath, and a pull of the trigger, the special little kunai was launched at high velocity at the tree, impacting and managing to pierce deep into the trunk.

"Woo! First time it's worked so successfully! I'm gonna have to refine it more though. It was a little off to the right…." While he sat up and thought on how to further improve his designs, the two men beside and behind him were gawking at the speed the kunai had gone flying into the tree at. Forget a little to the side, that thing was already dangerous!

"Wow, hey Naruto I think I just saw what I wanna buy when you're finished with them." Such a thing would be invaluable to someone like him, or even for assassins who couldn't get to close to their targets. If it could be silenced a bit more then it would be perfect.

…

"Okay brat, time to pack up your stuff and come with me. Today we're going on a very special mission to test out some of your new stuff." Jiraiya told, standing before Naruto with his arms crossed, Kakashi standing off to the mans' side, standing at attention.

"Where we goin?" Naruto asked, tilting his head a bit, already pulling on his blue cloak, tugging the hood up and pulling a dirty tan facemask up over the bottom half of his face.

Humming softly, Jiraiya pulled out the hand held launcher Naruto had sold him once the line of devices had been completed. "We're going to Kiri. A request for aid was sent and we can't refuse them for the price they're paying. Plus I figure it would be a good test of these things."

Naruto had a sinking feeling in his gut, as if he wouldn't like what was about to come out of the man's mouth. "What exactly are they paying?"

"People with bloodlines. Though don't get your knickers in a bunch, everyone being sent over are coming voluntarily, simply to get out of the country due to their bloodlines not being combat capable. They wanted to flee, but this seemed a better trade. They get amnesty in Konoha, and we get sent to help with their little blood feud."

Grunting but accepting it since apparently the people being sold off were doing so of their own volition, Naruto nodded and promptly snatched the device from Jiraiya. "Oi!"

"Don't be such a baby, this old thing is out of date. I'm simply giving you a one time free upgrade."

That said, Naruto reached into his coat and pulled out a more sleek, somewhat smaller version of the launcher Jiraiya had pulled out. Handing it to the man, Naruto thought it prudent to warn him, "This one has a little more kick to it, but it's meant to be rapid fired, and comes with a clip of 10 kunai. These are meant to pierce though, so be careful where you shoot it."

Giving out a little chuckle, Jiraiya accepted the new device, looking it over and marveling at how well it fit into his hand. "Well then, I thank you kindly, brat."

Huffing, Naruto silently stuck his tongue out at the man behind his face mask. "Let's just go. The faster we get to Kiri the faster I can test out something else I've been working on."

…

"Okay Naruto. Our contact for this mission is one Momochi Zabuza. He's joined the Bloodline Rebellion and is going to meet us a few clicks from their main base. Use that stealth we taught you to keep up, we don't want to be followed."

Nodding, Naruto pulled his coat tightly closed and followed Jiraiya and Kakashi as the two went off, doing his best to keep up despite the speed the two were going.

Thankfully, the two men kept a pace that their student could follow, and it only took them a few days to reach the port town where they would catch a boat to Kiri. The trip was actually relatively short, and once they arrived, Jiraiya took Naruto off to the side, handing him a bag of… water balloons?

"Okay brat, today I'm going to teach you something other than sealing. I feel you should learn it, as my unofficial student. Yeah, so take one of these, and I'll show you how this jutsu is done."

Raising an eyebrow, but pushing his hood down and reaching into the bag, Naruto took out one of the little water balloons and inspected it. "Okay, watch me closely and tell me what you see." Jiraiya said, holding out a water balloon of his own, holding it in his palm before… "Ah!" It popped, splashing Naruto with its liquid content.

"It… got all bumpy. Did you lump the chakra till it popped? No… Maybe swirled…" Holding the balloon, Naruto tried out his theory, grinning under his mask as the balloon expanded and popped. "Wrong! You had it right the second time brat, why'd you try the first method?"

"Only through trial and error can one truly learn old man. I'm quite sure you know what I mean."

Huffing, Naruto took another balloon, holding it out to Jiraiya and shocking the man with the ease in which it got bumpy… and then popped, splashing the man in water this time. "H-how…"

"Don't insult me. I've been training in chakra control since I found out it would let me walk on walls, let alone water. I dare say I have the fifth best chakra control of my class, Dattebayo!"

Grinning at hearing the boys verbal tic, Jiraiya just shook his head. "Okay, well until we can get you the material for the next step, keep practicing with those balloons. I don't care what you do with the rest when we get you the next step's material, but for now just keep practicing."

Nodding and getting to it, Jiraiya disappeared, Kakashi taking his place and watching in amazement as Naruto popped balloon after balloon, doing so slowly, then quickly, getting quicker as the balloons slowly disappeared from the bag.

…

"I got one thing to say to ya strange-a… Royal Flush."

Laughing almost maniacally, Naruto strode out of the third gambling hall he'd been in, using his Konoha forehead protector to verify that he was a shinobi, and thus legally able to partake. Ever since he'd found out he had the devils luck, he'd been thinking of using that skill to make a living for himself while out and about with his teachers.

Thankfully, it seemed to be paying off, quite literally. Hey, he had to get material for his inventions somehow.

Pocketing his new rolls of cash, Naruto began to make his way to the local smithy, proceeding to buy up all the good metal they had in stock, and placing an order for ten metal poles of about eight feet in length and several inches in thickness. Each would have a metal bowl of sorts attached to the top, presumably to hold a flame, like a torch.

Not even flinching as a hand was placed on his shoulder, he looked back and up to see Kakashi staring down at him, a small frown behind his mask. "Naruto, you shouldn't be gambling. It's a horrible habit to pick up. What if your luck doesn't hold forever?"

Shaking his head and sighing softly, Naruto gave the man a smile, "Don't worry, I don't bet too much, but I still end up with tons of cash. So don't worry, even if I start losing, I won't be losing any large amount." He wasn't stupid, 'Ttebayo.

"Hmm… alright, but I still don't like the thought of you gambling. Please try to keep it in moderation."

Nodding his head, Naruto turned just in time not to walk into Jiraiya, who was grinning and placed a hand on the boys head, ruffling his hair. "Ah, let the kid have his fun Kakashi. It's not going to be every day that he can live it up in the high life of a successful gambler. After all, he's a shinobi now, and kami knows we don't have the simple life."

While the two men got into it over whether Naruto should be allowed to gamble or not, Naruto took the bag from Jiraiya, who released it the moment Naruto had it. Looking inside, he found a number of rubber balls, and figured it must be the second step to whatever it was Jiraiya was teaching him.

Holding the ball, Naruto swirled his chakra in several directions at once, though his eyes widened as the rubber ball in his hand didn't even bulge. Grunting, he added more chakra, only managing to get a few lumps to appear on the ball, before he got frustrated and surged his chakra through the ball. With a loud pop, the ball exploded and sent him flying into Kakashi, hitting the man in the gut.

"Oof!"

"Whoa there! Naruto you were supposed to pop the balloon, not overload the chakra points in your arm!" Jiraiya fretted, picking the blonde up off of Kakashi, who stood promptly after and rubbed his gut, where a Naruto sized bruise was slowly forming.

"I didn't do it right…" As soon as the kid was put back on his feet, he took the bag and walked off, completely ignoring the two men, making them sweatdrop as he seemed to get absorbed in the second step of the jutsu Jiraiya was teaching him without even needing to be told what to do. Maybe he was getting to smart for his own good?

Nah.

…

Standing on the boat, Jiraiya was watching Naruto closely as he tried to pop the rubber balls the right way, so far only managing to poke holes in them with his chakra, frustrating the boy and getting many laughs from Jiraiya.

Currently they were on their way to Mizu no Kuni, and from there it would be on to the meet up point with their contact. Hopefully nothing happened to delay them. Hopefully, no one would be stupid enough to attack a ship carrying not only Copy Cat Kakashi, but also Jiraiya of the Sannin.

It wasn't till Jiraiya took his eyes off Naruto to look at the land they were approaching that another loud pop was heard, and Jiraiya had to reach out and grab a flying Naruto before he crashed into the pillar of the sail, eyes wide as the boy began to cheer in his hold. "I did it! I popped the stupid rubber ball properly!"

"Damn brat, slow down already, you're gonna make me look bad if you keep getting the steps down so fast!" The old perv praised, in his own way of course.

"Hah, you just wish you had my mad skills old perv!"

"Hey, you don't get to brag about mad skills till you've had your first time, little boy!" Jiraiya teased, making Naruto blush but huff, cheeks puffed a little. "You're lucky I can't shoot you…"

Though, that gave the boy an idea. Eheheheh…!

…

"So where's our contact? We have to be close to the meeting spot by now right?" Naruto asked, hefting the giant backpack he'd gotten before leaving the port onto his back. Damn the thing was heavy, but it was carrying all his materials and several scrolls filled with finished products. Likewise, he also had several finished products strapped to the inside of his coat. It was good weight training, that was for sure.

"You wouldn't know that kid, we haven't told you where the spot was in the first place. Now shush, we don't need you giving us away." Jiraiya told, placing a hand on the boys head.

"Bah, you should have told me then. I can help, I've been training my butt off."

"Heh, Not quite yet brat. Wait till you can last more than a minute against me and Kakashi before you start wanting more details from these missions."

Grunting, Naruto ignored the man and simply took out his sealing book, since he was almost finished with it anyway.

…

"Zabuza-sama. I've sighted the squad. It's lead by Jiraiya of the Sannin, and there is also Kakashi of the Sharingan, as well as an unknown boy, seemingly the pupil of the two."

The mystery person stood before none other than Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Bloody Mist. "Good work… Haku, I want you to continue tailing them. Gather what you can about this boy, see what his purpose here is."

"As you wish, Zabuza-sama."

Piece said, the now identified Haku disappeared in a swirl of mist, silent as ever.

"Hmmm… A pupil of the famous Copycat Kakashi, as well as the last loyal Sannin, eh? Let's see what you have, boy."

The laugh that the man gave off could be heard by the sentries of the base not too far away. They merely sweatdropped at the sound, and continued to stand guard.

…

"Okay… what are you doing now?" Kakashi asked, Jiraiya having gone off somewhere as soon as they had entered the small town. Kakashi had chosen to stick to Naruto like glue, as they couldn't really afford to be caught separated. "I'm putting up hidden medallions. It's a promotion of sorts to help promote my product."

Sighing, Kakashi shook his head, "Okay, better question. Why are you doing it?"

"Because I already had the old fart send the first shipment of finished hand launchers to Konoha. I figure, why not market them here as well so I can get exposure? I absolutely refuse to market my babies solely to one place. That would make any device captured by the enemy a chance to be copied, and then I'd be out of luck when some shmuck decides to say they own the rights."

Sighing, Kakashi face palmed. Honestly he hadn't thought of that, but it was indeed a very big possibility once it got out that Konoha had some kind of game changing weapons. At least Konoha would have the only defense against it for a good long while. After all, he couldn't really stop the boy from selling his wares. He wouldn't. Loyalty to Konoha notwithstanding, he didn't honestly see the harm in the boy selling to places that could potentially become Konoha's ally.

He'd only speak up if the boy tried to sell them somewhere like Iwa, or possibly Kumo.

…

"So, the Demon of the Bloody Mist… How are you?" Jiraiya asked, standing before the contact for the mission he was on with Kakashi and the brat.

"Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin… I'm fine. I'm actually a little surprised that they sent you of all people. The last time we sent for aid we were rebuffed. Now they sent not only you, but Copycat Kakashi too. Though, I didn't expect them to send a brat either."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, before he grinned, "So, that presence I felt was one of yours. Good, I don't have to get rid of them." "Tch, should have known you'd sense 'em. I have my apprentice following your buddies. Safety reasons, so don't worry, she doesn't have any orders to attack."

"She better not, otherwise she'll be in for quite a surprise. The brat with us has been getting pretty good, a few more years and I'd say he'd be the most fun apprentice I've ever taken on. In a few more years anyway, he's got a ways yet before he can call himself this old mans' apprentice."

"Heh, well, you should probably go get them. If they spend too long in the town they're bound to draw attention from the other side. Let's go, I'll go with you to help deter any would be assassins."

…

"Step right up, test your aim. Since none of you have ever even heard of these before, first time's on the house. Just be careful you don't try to steal nothing, my bodyguard here is the famed Copycat Kakashi!" Naruto told, having set up a stand where people could try out his different weapons on little targets, mobile and immobile.

"Naruto… do you really think this is a good idea?"

"Don't worry about it, between the two of us there's enough skill to stop any thief before they even get two feet with one of my babies, 'Ttebayo!"

That's how Jiraiya and Zabuza found them, Kakashi standing next to the stand, while Naruto stood behind the counter, handing people his handheld launchers and instructing them on their use, before turning on the targets with some chakra and letting them have a go. A special prize was set up for those who got high enough scores.

"So… You're future apprentice is an inventor? Looks more like a merchant than a shinobi." Zabuza commented, arms crossed over his chest, Jiraiya standing next to him with a twitching eye. He was all for letting the kid have some fun, but this was ridiculous.

"Oi oi, what's going on Kakashi? What happened to being the mother hen?"

"Ah, Jiraiya-sama, I apologize. He had already set up the stand before I could stop him. It seems his speed training has been paying off. Plus, he seems to want to contribute to the mission in his own way. Hm, you must be Zabuza. Nice to meet you, glad we aren't on opposing sides."

Shaking the man's hand, Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair afterwards, sighing softly and turning back just as someone tried to make a break with one of the launchers. Before Kakashi could even do anything, Zabuza had cut the man in question down, taking the stolen item and placing it back on the table as the man he'd cut poofed into a shinobi with a Kiri headband on.

"Sorry about that kid, damn bloodline hunters often frequent this town in small numbers. Must have seen something in these things though if they tried to steal one while disguised as a civilian. What are these?"

"Ah, famous Zabuza Momochi I presume. Care to test your aim? Hold the device firmly in one hand, and place your index finger on the trigger. Aim down the sights and once you have them locked with the target, pull the trigger and let the device do the rest. First time's free~."

As if the man hadn't just cut another man in half with a giant sword.

"Heh, I like you brat. Fine, I'll give it a shot." Naruto chuckled at the man's choice of words, stepping aside and once more activating the targets with his chakra. The other people who had been trying the devices gave the man a wide berth, especially after seeing him cut a man down for trying to steal one of the crazy devices.

Not knowing what to expect, Zabuza followed the boys instructions, using his keen eyes to line the sights up with the middle of a target… Before his eyes widen once he pulls the trigger, seeing a kunai being shot out of the device at high velocity, impacting the middle of the target and blowing a hole through it. Not a big hole, but damn.

"What the hell?!"

"Eheh, I trust you like it? Enough people have tried it… 400 ryo for a basic handheld launcher, and I'll throw in two boxes of ammo for free on the first purchase. Also an instruction manual for those who haven't tried it yet."

"Naruto, did you just try to market to Zabuza?" Jiraiya asked, deadpan, before a small chuckle worked past his lips. "Ahahaha, damn brat, you got balls!"

"Eheheh, of course! Who better to sell to than the person who can tell the most about it. I'd even sell to the Kage's themselves as long as it turned a profit!"

"Hah! I like this kid, he's got balls the size of a Biju! I'll take one." Zabuza handed over the money, Naruto pocketing it with a grin before handing the man one of the launchers he kept in his coat, which he'd already planned to use to carry all his wares. Plus two boxes of ammo, as promised. Never let it be said he wasn't a nin of his word.

About the same time as he was handing over the launcher to the man, a young woman came up to him, with medium length brown hair and chocolate colored eyes, a warm smile on her face. "Excuse me, I found a sign posted on a tree, and collected these little medallions. By chance are you the one who hid them around?"

Naruto was actually shocked, but simply shook his head before chuckling, "Well now strange-a, seems you've collected all of them. Here we go, one 'Black Fist' model, freshly made this morning. I didn't expect to have to dish it out so soon, so as a bonus, three boxes of ammo, and a manual on the launchers upkeep."

Handing the young woman a slim black launcher, Naruto chuckled and thought it fitting to give a small warning. "Be careful with that model strange-a, it's piercing capabilities are top notch, so make sure you have a clear shot before practicing, it wouldn't do to accidentally hit someone behind your target. Without meaning to, that is."

Inspecting the device, the young woman smiled and turned over the medallions, along with the parchment she had taken from the tree, all blue in color. "Eheheh, thank you." Naruto thanked, accepting them back and stashing them away to hide in a new location.

"You done messing around now Haku?" Zabuza asked, raising a non-existent eyebrow as his apprentice pouted at him. "Mou, Zabuza-sama~" Chuckling himself, the man simply turned back to Naruto, "Kid, I'd like to place a large order of these things. They could be just what we need in our efforts against the bloodline exterminators."

Eyes glinting, Naruto smiled under his mask and gave a nod. "I've got a selection of Good things on sale, mister Zabuza. Perhaps you'd like to see before you place any orders?"

…

Arriving at the secret HQ of the Kiri Rebellion, Naruto followed Jiraiya, Kakashi and Zabuza, the latters apprentice walking alongside him and attempting to make conversation. Sadly for her, he was more focused on his business at hand rather than the attractive young woman trying to get to know him. However his focus didn't seem to deter her at all, in fact only seeming to make her try to learn more about him.

Someone had a fan~.

As soon as they were safely within the halls of the HQ, Naruto followed Zabuza and Jiraiya as Kakashi followed Haku.

Arriving at a large door, er, waterfall, Zabuza flared his chakra and the waterfall split, revealing an actual door, which he opened and ushered Jiraiya and Naruto into.

"Ah, you've returned. I see by the company you bring that you were successful in meeting up with the aid Konoha sent? It's honestly very fortuitous that they sent such high profile characters to aid us in our struggle."

The voice drew both Jiraiya and Naruto's attention, and both soon sported blushes at the pretty woman sitting behind a desk, stacked high with papers and such. "Meet Mei Terumi you two, the future Mizukage. Once we finally dispatch the current one anyway."

"And before that, we have business, strange-a." Naruto spoke, pulling a slip of paper from his coat and placing it atop the desk of the future Kage.

"Hm? What's this?"

Looking over the papers, Mei's eyebrows rose, and she turned a glare to Zabuza. "You authorized how much? For what?!"

Sweating a bit, the man pulled out the weapon he'd bought from Naruto, quickly showing it to the irate woman by shooting at the wall across the room, the woman's eyes widening at the action. "These tools are revolutionary Mei, I simply negotiated a fair price, with a discount for buying in bulk."

"Hmmm… While I'm unsure of the price including a discount, it seems the weapons bought are truly revolutionary, even I can see that. Very well, take this to the treasurer, and distribute the weapons among the troops. I trust there will be manuals or something with which to train them in their use?" She asked, handing over a yellow slip of paper which Naruto happily took and put into his coat.

"Yes ma'am, there will be a stand set up for your troops to practice with. Targets will be stationary, and moving at a moderate speed. I can also speed up the moving targets if necessary."

"Good, I expect I should have some free time soon, I wish to peruse your wears once that time comes."

Chuckling good naturedly, Naruto nodded and promptly turned, exiting the room, finding Haku and being lead to the treasury.

Jiraiya stayed behind however, gaze stern. "I trust you won't misuse the weapons the brat is selling you? He's got a patent pending in Hi no Kuni, and I'd like to set up a pending patent here as well. I don't want anyone getting any bright ideas. He worked hard creating these, I'd hate to have to do something untoward to get someone to back off."

Shaking her head, Mei gave a little sigh, "Well, I was hoping to reverse engineer some of them, but if it's a request from the help Konoha sent us I guess I cannot refuse. Perhaps, however, he would be willing to sell some schematics? Once I become acting Kage I can push the patent through immediately."

"You'd have to take that up with him. I'm sure he'd be willing to come to some kind of agreement. He's a budding merchant after all." Jiraiya praised, grinning at the pretty lady that was to become Mizukage.

…

Well! Longer than the last chapter, yeah? Read it, love it, review it damnit! Please?


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